Governance
Introduction
Anglian Learning is a charitable company limited by guarantee which is governed by its Board of Trustees at a strategic level. The Board is accountable to the Secretary of State for the performance of all of the academies within Anglian Learning and for setting the strategic direction of the Trust. They hold the executive to account for its performance, both educationally and financially. Because academy trustees are directors under company and charity law, academy trustees have legal responsibilities that governors of maintained schools do not. Trustees therefore need to be skilled, knowledgeable, and able to confidently support and challenge the leadership of a group of schools.
The role of the Members is to be the custodians of the governance of the Trust. They constitute the top governance tier but have limited powers and a largely hidden role in terms of the running of the trust – very much ‘eyes on, hands off’ when it comes to overseeing the work of the board. The Trust Board delegates responsibilities to a number of Trust Board Committees and also to its third tier of Governance called Local Governing Bodies or LGBs who have local oversight of academies.
Key documentation
Why Are Trustees and Governors Important?
Trustees and governors play a critical role in the governance and success of a multi-academy trust (MAT). Their responsibilities and influence span several key areas, ensuring that the MAT operates effectively, ethically, and in the best interests of its pupils.
Local Governing Bodies (LGBs)
LGBs play an important part in setting the vision and ethos of the academies; reflecting and shaping the views of key stakeholders; maintaining an important democratic link with local communities; agreeing the improvement strategy and supporting and challenging academy leaders to deliver excellent outcomes. The scheme of delegation (SoD) enables a high degree of local oversight by governors.